Devil's Creek

Bittersweet Hollow Book 2

By: Aaron Paul Lazar

Narrated by: Gwendolyn Druyor

Length: 8 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Grace may have problems, but Anderson Rockwell loves his sassy, spicy, and slightly unfaithful wife. A recovered heroin addict who's now struggling with sex addiction, Grace tries her best to control her inner demons. She's relapsing less often. And when she does, she always calls. Always comes back home. Until this time.

The man calls himself Chandler. He found Grace on Facebook under a false name and lured her away with promises of excitement, danger, and plenty of steam. But when Grace gives in to temptation and follows the trail, she finds herself at the mercy of a monster who knows who she really is and whose sole obsession is revenge - on Anderson.

Time is running out for Anderson to rescue Grace from deadly danger that's beyond imagination before the past drowns them both for good. Because this time it's personal.

©2015 Aaron Paul Lazar (P)2015 Aaron Paul Lazar

Suspenseful!

This is the second book in the Bittersweet Hollow series. I really enjoyed it!

This audio book is again narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor. I must admit that I enjoyed listening to her a lot more than I did the first book. Maybe because I became used to her reading style. She has a pleasant voice but she, whether by accident or design, made the main character Grace sound incredibly whiny. Other listeners may disagree with me.

Grace Rockwell is a complex character. I am not sure if I liked her when I first met her in Devil's Lake, though she certainly was the bravest (or stupidest) character I'd met in a book. She's Portia's (from Devil's Lake) younger sister, and had gone through hell when her older sister was kidnapped and turned to drugs to cope years before. Now clean and married to Anderson, whom she loves, she finds herself in a bind when her libido gets her caught in a dangerous situation.

Anderson Rockwell is a fantastic character. I really liked this Professor and felt that he and Grace made a strange couple. However, they say opposites attract and these two certainly have their issues. When Grace unexpectedly gets dragged into danger by an old nemesis from Anderson's past, he's terrified that history will repeat itself.

This book is told through the eyes of both Grace and Anderson. Though Anderson's tale starts many years before he meets Grace. I enjoyed getting to know Anderson better this way. However, this also confused me at first, though my confusion cleared up as soon as I realised why the author had started the story this way. Chandler is not who Grace thinks he is. He is a skeleton from Anderson's closet that has come out to haunt him. This character is incredibly creepy and totally insane. Why does this family seem to attract the loonies? Anyway, I found myself completely hooked by the intense suspense that built up though the story. There are several twists that I didn't see coming. The danger Grace faces is eerily similar to what her sister faced but, the author gave this story a sinister twist that sent a chill down my spine. Grace will need some serious psychological help for her problems (drug and sex addiction), though I am glad that Anderson is so supportive of her. Their marriage may be rocky, but they are both determined to face their demons together. That can only make their relationship stronger.

I reached the end of the book with mixed feelings. I was sad that the story ended, but happy with the way it concluded. I am now looking forward to reading/listening to the next book in the series, Devil's Spring as soon as I can.

Aaron Paul Lazar has written a fantastic tale that captured my imagination. I love his writing style, which is fast paced and entertaining. The story flowed wonderfully (apart from my issue with the narrator). I am a huge fan of this author. I am now looking forward to reading more of his books in the future.

Although this book doesn't have any bad language, there are some explicit scenes of a sexual nature. Therefore, I recommend this book to older teen readers (18+) and to adults who love contemporary romance or romantic suspense genres. - Lynn Worton

Definitely a good book.

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes. Though at times the book was really disturbing, the story kept me wanting to know more.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Yes. It always seemed to leave me asking questions. Thankfully at the end, it was all tied up nicely.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

Grace's mom. I know she wasn't a main character, but I loved the depth of her character and how she was the epitome of what a mom should be.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, I wanted to answer the next question.

Any additional comments?

I truly recommend that you give this book a listen. It will keep you on your toes. :)

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

The Story was intense and the Narrator is Great!

Would you listen to Devil's Creek again? Why?

I would definitely listen to Devil's Creek again. I would probably listening to it after listening to the first book. I felt like I missed a couple things by starting with book two instead of one.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

I really enjoyed every character by Gwendolyn Druyor. She was great at changing her voice for each of the characters. I thought that's what made the narrator amazing.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I was totally taken by surprised by the events that occurred in the book. I thought Gwendolyn was great at keeping up with the suspense. It kept me hooked from beginning to end.

Enjoyed.

This book was very good it really kept my interest I did enjoy reading it. I try to read book 1, the narrator was nice to listen to.

Devil's Creek: Bittersweet Hollow Book 2

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

This is definitely an adult only book.Grace trades drug addiction for an addiction to sex. Her marriage isn't enough to satisfy the addiction. Enter mysterious stranger from the internet.

The story shifts back and forth over a 19 year period. There is a lot of mystery, action, drama and sex involved. I am hoping this series will continue!


The narration was well done, The characters were excellently portrayed.

Marvelously intertwined

What did you love best about Devil's Creek?

I did not expect such action in this book. I was pleasantly surprised. I also was worried about not understanding much, as this is the second book of the series, but this book can be read as single book. It did a great job of keeping my interest.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Okay, I wouldn't say that this book kept me on my edge of my seat. It did, however, make me consider downloading the rest of it on mobile data when I came home from work and found out that the internet was out. I ended up walking a mile to the nearest free wifi to download it.

Which character – as performed by Gwendolyn Druyor – was your favorite?

Anderson, he's just a peach. I wish I could just take him away from all these issues.

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast.

I really enjoyed the personal note I received from the author. I will definitely come back for a certain book!

The Life You've Lived

Another perfect story! Author Aaron Paul Lazar has written another outstanding story. This story is centered on Grace and Anderson. After Portia went through her horrific ordeal it's now her sister turn to go through her own nightmare. Anderson has to relive his own past because it's come back to haunt him and the pain he went through many years ago is back. Lazar has written another suspenseful story, New characters, more danger, and mystery. I found this story to be favorite for various reasons. I found it intriguing to learn more about Anderson's life before Grace came into his life. We also learn more about Grace and things she's done in her life and how she treated her husband Anderson for years.

This story captured my attention right from the start. Aaron gave this story some very vivid details that caught my attention. What he writes about Grace and her behavior is a real disorder and many women and even men suffer from suffer from Hypersexual Disorders. There are other names that can be associated with this disorder, Compulsive Sexual Behavior, hypersexuality, and the one that I've always heard is probably the most common name people use and its nymphomaniac. Some people that suffer this don't know that they can get help for this disorder. This shows me that the author has no problems writing about things that are real and isn't shy to write about the things Grace went through. He did his research and it shows and in reality this story could help someone who suffers with this disorder. I think that shows me that Aaron Paul Lazar is a brilliant writer and he wrote a story that has a perfect storyline and educational as well.

Narrator Gwendolyn Druyor told this story with pure profection. Once again she captured my attention right from the start. Druyor brings so much emotion in her voice as she tells the story. She is extremely talented at what she does. She pulled me in and kept me on the edge of my seat immersed into this story. I often mention narrator's breathe life into a story or bring a story to life and its true as long as the narrator is good. This is exactly what Druyor has done. I can't help but respect narrator's that can make you feel like you're there, watching the story unfold. Gwendolyn is one of those narrator's that pulled me into this story and as I listened I felt like I was there watching the story play out. I highly recommend this story, but get DevilsDevil's Lake first. Overall, another perfect 5 star rating!

My goodness this family has gone through a lot

I really enjoyed the main storyline of this book and I like how Mr. Lazar has separated the book into different time periods. I'm afraid that even though I know sex was part of the story I wish that the author didn't feel like he had to go into detail. I think it could have been glossed over more so people like me didn't have to fast forward past scenes. Other than that the story is excellent and I'm really starting to feel sorry for the main characters, my goodness they have been through a lot.
I received a free code for this book from Audiobooks Unleashed to listen to on Audible. This review is my own honest opinion

Wonderful!!

This is the second book in the series. I love this writer and narrator. The story comes to life and takes you right along with it. It is well written, interesting, and suspenseful. The characters were well thought out, loyal, loving and steamy. I received it as a gift and this is my voluntary review.

A Really Great Audiobook!

This audiobook is so good! It is filled with drama, passion, and excitement! Murphy, the villain from the first book in the Devil's Creek series is now behind bars. This book opens with Grace and her husband Anderson, in the present. They are going through a rocky patch in their marriage, as a new, sick villain emerges. Their love story is told through scenes from the past and present. Portions of the book are upbeat and embrace the happy moments in life, in a similar style to the Gus LeGarde series. The plot is not all sunshine, however. It has very sensual descriptions, including twisted behavior. It is definitely not cozy or sweet. The storyline is fast-paced and excellent.

Grace wasn't entirely likeable in the first book in the series, so I questioned the choice of her as a main character. But as the plot unfolds, the listener will view Grace as very human, a likeable someone with flaws trying to overcome the past. I ended up enjoying this book so much more than the first one. The dark parts were offset by beautiful scenes of life and family. I found it to be nicely balanced.

Aaron Paul Lazar is certainly a gifted writer. If you are looking for a story with substance, this is it.

Another great story

Brilliantly written and narrated this book brings you to an emotional breakdown and then joyous rapture! The new characters were very different and nice to expand the story

fantastic

wow another fantastic audiobook from the pen of Aaron Paul Lazar and brilliantly narrated by Gwendolyn Druyor. I get so involved with the characters that I'm fully drawn in to the book xxxxxx